On the second day of his visit to South Sudan, a nation that has been at war for around half its existence, Francis heard from children who have spent much of their lives on the run from violence.
"Sadly, in this war-torn country, being a displaced person or a refugee has become a common and collective experience," the 86-year-old pontiff told the crowd in Juba.
"I want to renew my forceful and heartfelt appeal to end all conflict and to resume the peace process in a serious way, so that violence can end and people can return to living in dignity."
Francis said there was "no room for further delay" in achieving peace for all in South Sudan, with children being born every day in these camps.
"They have no memory of what it means to have a home; they are losing their connection with their native land, their roots and their traditions," he said, adding they were "the seed of a new South Sudan."
"The future cannot lie in refugee camps," he said to applause.
Pope Francis (C-R), seated on a wheelchair, arrives for a meeting with internally displaced persons at the Freedom Hall in Juba, South Sudan, on Feb. 4, 2023.
Francis' trip marks the first papal visit to South Sudan since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but then plunged into a brutal ethnic conflict that left the young nation divided and traumatized.
Some 380,000 people died in five years of bloodshed before the civil war formally ended in 2018, with a ceasefire between warring leaders who remain in power today.
But the country remains fragile and violent and Francis, who tried to broker peace between the rival parties, is visiting South Sudan as it lurches from one crisis to the next.
There are 2.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in South Sudan, and another 2 million outside the country. It is the worst refugee crisis in Africa.
Those displaced in South Sudan live in overcrowded, squalid and underfunded camps under the protection of the United Nations, too fearful to venture out.
On Friday, Francis delivered a pointed speech to the country's political leaders, warning they must make "a new start" toward reconciliation and end the greed and power struggles tearing the nation apart.
"Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do," he told an audience that included President Salva Kiir and his rival and deputy Riek Machar, as well as diplomats, religious leaders and traditional kings.
At his first event Saturday, the wheelchair-bound pope met South Sudan's religious leaders, who work with the poor and marginalized and are deeply respected in the devout country where 60% of its 12 million people are Christian.
He said they must "step into the middle of (people's) sufferings and tears," adding that the Church had a duty to be "willing to dirty its hands for people."
Crowds numbering several thousand had turned out early to wait for the pontiff in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Saint Therese, many waving national flags and ululating as they gave him a jubilant welcome.
"We came here to receive his blessings. This is all about peace. Pope Francis is not even walking, and he is still coming here to encourage our leaders," said John Makuei, 24.
He said he arrived before dawn so he did not miss this "historic day."
On Saturday evening, Francis will hold a joint prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who joined him in the country.